Consumers have come to recognize and appreciate resealable closures for containers to store, for example, liquid food products and the like. These resealable closures permit ready access to the product while providing the ability to reseal the container to prolong the life and freshness of the product. Typically, the containers or cartons are formed from a composite of paperboard material having one or more polymer coatings or layers to establish a liquid impervious structure.
In known containers having such closures, the closures, which are formed in a separate process and transported to the packaging process, are conventionally affixed to the containers as part of the overall form, fill and seal operation. Typically, the closures are affixed to the partially erected carton prior to filling the carton with product. One known method for affixing the closure to the carton uses an ultrasonic welding process. In this process, the carton is partially erected and the closure is brought into contact with the carton, overlying an opening in the carton. Subsequently, an anvil is placed against the carton material and an ultrasonic horn is brought into contact with a flange of the closure. The ultrasonic horn is actuated which ultrasonically welds the flange to the carton material.
Another method for affixing closures to cartons uses an induction heating process. In this process, again, an anvil is placed on the carton material and an induction sealing head is brought into contact with the flange. A current is induced in the induction sealing head which, again, results in welding the flange to the carton.
While these methods for affixing the closures to cartons work well for sealing pre-formed or pre-molded closures to containers, and while they do facilitate maintaining product freshness and container resealability, there are nevertheless drawbacks. For example, closure sourcing could have a significant adverse impact on product manufacture. That is, bottlers or dairies must maintain high inventories of closures to assure that a sufficient quantity is on-hand during the bottling operation, Typically, the closures are provided by a closure manufacturer or supplier. Thus, if the manufacturer or supplier cannot meet the required supply, product production (e.g., packaging) may have to be slowed or stopped until the required volume of closures can be obtained.
In addition, equipment is necessary for transporting and affixing the closures to the cartons. With respect to this equipment, components are necessary to transport the caps from a storage area to the carton and to, perhaps, properly orient the closures at the carton. Additional machine components are also needed to support the closure at the carton and to seal the closure to the carton.
Thus, as will be readily recognized, while such closures provide numerous benefits and advantages over known folded gable top spout arrangements, these closures can be rather costly, and may be too costly for use in lesser expensive products.
Accordingly, there is exists a need for an apparatus and method for providing resealable closures on cartons. Desirably, such an apparatus and method eliminates a packagers reliance on a closure supplier. More desirably, such an apparatus and method allows for eliminating those portions of a form, fill and packaging machine that are related to affixing a closure, such as by welding, to a carton.